scrooch

Pronounced: skrooch, verb

Notes: I didn’t know that this was a real word

Yesterday’s word

The word deracinate means

  • uproot
  • to remove or separate from a native environment or culture (especially to remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences from)
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word came from middle French word deraciner, made up of de- and raciner (root), which came from the Late Latin word radicina, which came from the Latin word radic, a stem of radix (root). The first meaning above was the original meaning, but the second, more metaphorical, definition came into being.

deracinate

Pronounced: dee-RA-suh-nate, verb

Notes: An interesting word

Yesterday’s word

The word altricial means “born in an undeveloped and helpless condition and requiring parental care and feeding for some time”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Latin word altrix (foster mother; wet nurse), which came from alere (to nourish).

altricial

Pronounced: al-TRISH-uhl, adj

Notes: Another word that is new to me

Yesterday’s word

The word berceuse is

  • a musical composition usually in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby
  • a lullaby
First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the French word bercer (to rock), which came from the Old French word bers (cradle). Brahams lullaby is probably the best known berceuse, but Chopin, Liszt, and Ravel also composed berceuses.

berceuse

Pronounced: ber-SOOZ, noun

Notes: Another potentially useful word that I’ve not run across

Yesterday’s word

The word philargyry is “the love of money; greed”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

There is a fairly well-known phrase from the Bible: For the love of money is the root of all evil: I didn’t know that there was a word for this. It came from the Greek words phil- (love) and argyros (silver).

philargyry

Pronounced: fill-ARJ-uh-ree, noun

Notes: A good word that I’ve not heard of

Yesterday’s word

The word tantara is “the blare of a trumpet or horn”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1500s

Background / Comments

I like this word because I have a friend that plays the trumpet… so it’s nice to have an appropriate word to use. Our word came from the Latin word taratantara, supposed to be a word that sounded like the sound of a war trumpet.

juberous

Pronounced: JOOB-ur-us, adj

Notes: Not a word I’ve run across

Yesterday’s word

The word slimsy means “flimsy; frail”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

We don’t really know why some words stick around and others don’t. Our word, a blending of slim and flimsy, reached peak popularity in the early 1900s, but isn’t heard much these days… unless enough people try to bring it back.

slimsy

Pronounced: SLIM-zee, adj

Notes: I didn’t know this was a word; perhaps you can guess the meaning

Yesterday’s word

The word luteous means

  • of an orange-yellow o greenish-yellow color
  • muddy
First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

Frankly, I don’t know if I’d use this word much; I’d probably describe something as “orange-yellow” or “greenish-yellow” instead of luteous. Our word came from the Latin word luteus (yellow), which came from lutum (yellowweed; mud).

luteous

Pronounced: LOO-tee-us, adj

Notes: Not a word I knew (and probably not one I can imagine using)

Yesterday’s word

The word ultima is “the last syllable of a word”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1910s

Background / Comments

I noted yesterday that our word took me back to college; in one language class, we learned about which syllable received the stress in pronunciation: it could be on the ultima, or on the “penult” – the next-to-last syllable (literally “almost or next to last”), or on the “antepenult” – the syllable before the penult (literally “before the penult”). Our word comes from the Latin word ultima, which is the feminine form of ultimus (farthest; last), which is a superlative form of ulter (situated beyond).

ultima

Pronounced: UHL-tuh-muh, noun

Notes: I should have know this word; it took me back to a college class

Yesterday’s word

The word leptodactylous means “having slender fingers or toes”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1800s

Background / Comments

I could use this word to describe people I know with slender fingers. Our word came from the Greek words lepto- (thin) and dactyl (toed; fingered).